10. "Tangled"
Walt Disney Animated released their best animated film in years with this Rapunzel (the film's original title) tale, and it proved to be just as big a hit with boys and big kids as with its girl target audience. Starring the voice of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, the latest Disney princess film has a strong male protagonist, too, in Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), a rogue thief who becomes entangled with the long-haired beauty and her hunch that her destiny lay somewhere in a land far, far away that releases magical lanterns in the sky once a year. Alan Menken triumphantly returns to the Disney animated duties as the film's composer, and Donna Murphy lends her stage performing experience to enhance the film's Broadway sensibilities. Nearly galloping away with the show is an expressive horse named Maximus, who turns in the best non-speaking movie role of the year.
9. "Black Swan"
Sure, it's that sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis that has people buzzing, but in truth, that's only one of the many provocative moments in writer-director Darren Aronofsky's searing psychological drama that keeps you on your toes. The visually gifted filmmaker, who showed incredible restraint with the Mickey Rourke drama "The Wrestler," once again pulled some trippy tricks out of his hat to tell the dark tale of a prima ballerina (Portman) dangerously obsessed with perfection as she tackles the dual role of the White Swan and Black Swan in "Swan Lake," and the dark underbelly of a prestigious ballet company in New York City.
8. "Toy Story 3"
More than 15 years after the debut of the original, Pixar Animation Studios saved their best "Toy Story" for last. Like its predecessors, "Toy Story 3" is colorful and incredibly detailed, right down to the ripples in the cardboard boxes that hold Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) as their owner, Andy (John Morris) prepares to move away to college. Andy's transition from childhood to adulthood gives the film its poignancy -- and the sort of emotion that most adult viewers have felt at one point in their lives. The saving grace is, if you hold dear the memories of your favorite toys as kids, the memories of "Toy Story 3" will likely remain with you forever, too. It's hardly a piece of throwaway entertainment.
7. "Kick-Ass"
The superhero movie genre is given a kick in the, well, ass, with director Matthew Vaughn's unflinching look at enterprising teen Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides the world would be a much better place if he'd at least attempt to fight crime, a la his favorite comic book heroes. Real-life comic book nerd Nicolas Cage is a natural as the avenging patriarch of a father-and-daughter team compelled to act by bravery (and stupidity) of Dave, an uber-nerd who dubs his superhero alter-ego "Kick-Ass." The revelation in the film is Chloe Grace Moretz as Cage's hard-hitting, trash-talking 14-year-old daughter, Mindy, who more than lives up to her superhero identity, Hit Girl.
6. "The King's Speech"
Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter turn in stellar acting performances in the seldom-told story of Britain's King George VI (Firth) and his nearly debilitating battle with his speech impediment -- a major roadblock that threatens to give his country a voice in the crucial time leading up to World War II. The trio delivers three distinctly different performances which, along with small turns like Timothy Spall's Winston Churchill, adds up to one uniquely entertaining and inspiring movie that avoids being stuffy.
5. "True Grit"
Breaking from their definitive brand of quirk, Coen brothers Joel and Ethan masterfully restore the classic Western genre to its former glory with their bold remake of the John Wayne classic that finds Jeff Bridges snugly fitting into the saddle of Rooster Cogburn. While Bridges makes the iconic lawman character his own in the remake with his grumbled demeanor, looming presence and haggard looks, it's relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld -- who plays Mattie Ross, a whip-smart 14-year-old girl who vows to bring her father's killer to justice -- who steals the show. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are second and third on the bill, but they're never a match for Steinfeld, one of the most dynamic young performers to come along in years.
Follow TimLammersFilms on Twitter
4. "127 Hours"
James Franco is riveting as hiker Aron Ralston, the real-life hiker forced to amputate his right hand after it was crushed under a bolder during a canyon expedition in Utah in 2003. Even though the film mostly takes place between "A Rock and a Hard Place" (the title of Ralston's memoir of the incident), Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle keeps the film moving with flashbacks, premonitions and the tech-savvy Ralston's own video documentation of his quest for survival. The amputation scene is incredibly difficult to watch, but a necessary evil to drive the film's point home.
3. "The Fighter"
Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo all put up their dukes in this knock-down, drag-out true-life boxing drama about the volatile relationship between "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his half-brother/trainer Dicky (Bale). While Wahlberg (who lives his role as Mickey) is the top-billed star of the film, it's Bale who delivers the knock-out punch as the crack-addicted former welterweight star stuck in the memories of his former glory. "Frozen River" Oscar nominee Leo proves she isn't a fluke with a gutsy performance as the brothers' hard-nosed mom, Alice; and Adams sports fists of fury as Mickey's ballsy girlfriend, Charlene. The unsung hero of the film is director David O. Russell, who pulls no punches in the often-depressing portrayal of a battered but not completely broken family.
2. "The Social Network"
Director David Fincher delves into the suspicious beginnings of Facebook -- and the biggest irony we discover is that the young founder of the social network, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is anti-social. The film is full of revelatory performances, including Andrew Garfield as Zuckerberg's estranged business partner, Eduardo Saverin, and Justin Timberlake as high-rolling Napster founder Shawn Parker. But Eisenberg tops them all with a performance that is so uncomfortably scummy it makes your skin crawl. Even if a quarter of what the film says about Zuckerberg is true, the revolutionary techie comes off as hateful at best. The inherent drama between the conniving Zuckerberg, the sandbagged Saverin and the maligned Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer) makes "The Social Network" hard not to (tap on that little thumb-up icon now) like.
1."Inception"
Writer-director Christopher Nolan's mind-bending masterpiece is a dream both literally and figuratively. Thanks to its cliff-hanging complexities, engaging characters and daring new dreamscapes, the inventive heist thriller is easily the most original movie of the year. It's not often, if ever, where confusion in a movie is a good thing, but with "Inception," that's half the fun. Just like the human subconscious, the answers are buried deep within the film, but only repeat viewings will help you peel back all of the layers. Sure, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and a haunting Marion Cotillard command your attention, but ultimately, there's more to "Inception" than what meets the (mind's) eye.
Honorable Mentions::
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" proved to be, far and away, the best of the film series yet … "Cyrus" was one of the sharpest comedies of the year, thanks to a funny -- and scary -- performance by Jonah Hill … "Red" showed how your older actors – including Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren -- could pack heat with the best of them … "Despicable Me" was a surprisingly touching animated comedy thanks to deliciously devious voice performance by Steve Carrel and a story about a trio of orphans that rips at your heart-strings … the true story of "Secretariat" literally put you on the track with the legendary horse and won the feel-good movie of the year prize by several lengths … the animated adventure "How to Train Your Dragon" had ferocious heart and stunning visuals, including some breathtaking flying scenes ... "Kick-Ass" star found the soul of a young John Lennon in "Nowhere Boy," a poignant look at the legendary musician's life with the Quarrymen and the formation of The Beatles.
